Lead Smelting Questions?

[jmorris]

Next, I only left about a half inch of lead in the bottom of the pot from the 1st session. Will that be too much added stress on the heat elements on the following heat up?

It shouldn’t be, I use a 3500 watt oven element in the machine I built and I always leave it full of lead when I’m done, 60+ lbs, keeps other stuff out of the pot.

 

[kcofohio]

You said that your new to casting, is your pot new? If it is I would be on the phone to who-ever made it and trying to get free parts shipped to me under warranty.

You did absolutely nothing wrong and the cold air had nothing to do with it. Heating elements are resistive loads and can only draw what they are rated for unless they ground out.

What brand and model is the pot?

If the heating element grounded out and didn't weld itself solid to the metal around it, you wont' see a ground on your meter because it grounded when it was hot and stretched out. Now it's cold

They usually burn off though.

If it's rated for 750 watts than, it can only draw 750 watts to heat in any condition. It like an incandescent light bulb. They're plugged into 15 amp circuits but can only pull the rated wattage or they would burn out immediately when turned on.

It blew your breaker so the something inside grounded out and maybe burned off.

Check your switch also for grounds, it should just be a simple thermostatic switch that is on or off, nothing in between.
If your switch is cooked you already know what is wrong.

Update: I got a new thermostat switch from Lee a little over a week ago. First 15-20 seconds and the switch fried again. This time the ohms was at 13.
I think tightgroup, you was on to it about the heat element.
I contacted Lee and early last week they emailed me a shipping label. I just got an email back and they replaced heat element and thermostat.

 

[kcofohio]

Another update: I now have nearly 100 lbs. in ingots of pure lead now. The melter is good to go.
I have about 25-30 lbs. of lead to clean.